Odds favor another term for Boucher

Many Congressional incumbents around the country are in trouble. At the moment, veteran 9th District Congressman Rick Boucher does not appear to be one of them.

A new poll shows Democrat Boucher leading Republican challenger Morgan Griffith by 13 points — 52-39 percent. An incumbent with more than 50 percent re-elect is not usually considered in trouble.

Griffith, of couse, sees it different, calling his attempt to defeat the long-time Congressman “one of the most competitive races in the country.”

Given his record, I’ve always suspected Griffith is on drugs. This comment ices it.

Boucher will be hard to beat. He has a solid political base in Southwestern Virginia and generally votes the wishes of his constituency, even when it means going against the Democratic leadership of Congress. He was one of the few Democrats to vote against Obama’s so-called “health care reform.”

Griffith, on the other hand, is a right-wing flake that even many conservative Republicans consider too far out on the fringe.

Things could change by November but — at this point — the odds favor Boucher for another term.

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DOUG THOMPSON

Long-time newspaperman, photographer and videographer who, at age 71, still shoots photos and covers government and courts for a BH Media newspaper, shoots video for TV and documentary use and owns websites that include Blue Ridge Muse and Capitol Hill Blue.

15 COMMENTS

Congressman Boucher works for the betterment of this district and its people. Have yet to find anyone in government that I agree with 100 percent. Pledged my support when he first ran and he still has it.

Boucher isn’t perfect, but he is willing to vote against his party at times. I have a hard time seeing Griffith EVER voting against the GOP no matter the effect on the 9th district or the wishes of constituents. I may be wrong, but I can’t think of a single issue that Griffith would cross the aisle on.

The one thing that I will always remember Griffith for is his ridiculous refusal to raise the gas tax a few pennies back when gas was at or over $4 per gallon. Now look what we have: Our county roads are literally falling apart and going unrepaired; the road shoulders remain unmowed; VDOT offices across the county are closing down and being shifted to Montgomery County. There are places on Huckleberry Ridge Rd, Moore Rd and Bethelehm Church Rd where the motorist must slow down to 10-15 MPH to avoid tearing up the car. Two huge sinkholes opened up on Huckleberry Ridge Rd and were left that way for weeks. Finally, someone came alone, threw in some globs of asphalt, packed it and went on, leaving the god-awful dips around the now-filled sinkholes in place. Its a real traffic hazard Forget seeing the deer standing with their noses along the edge of the roads. The weeds so thoroughly hide them that all they have to do is take one step and BAM, there on your car. Now we have wild cherries, locust trees and sumacs growing only a few feet from the road’s edge. Why? The shoulders are no longer mowed.

All of the above because there is no money in the VDOT budget. The gas tax increase would have remedied the situation. After all, we ALL use the roads. What’s the problem with paying to keep them in at least reasonable condition. Its not like some giveaway, social program I could certainly argue with. But I will not argue with paying for the things I use and the roadways are among the most important I use. I can only imagine the mess Griffith would make should he get elected to DC.

I met Morgan Griffith when he was giving a talk about transportation. I have yet to meet anyone even remotely as underwhelming as him.

Not only did he refuse to accept any responsibility for helping create the transportation stalemate in Virginia, but he acted like a petulant little child in trying to explain it. Everything was everyone else’s fault, and he was not being stubborn for refusing to moderate his position. The governor was being stubborn for proposing a compromise, but not 100% accepting Griffith’s proposal, which Griffith refused to compromise on. It was utterly ridiculous, and when the announcement came that he was going to run in MY district, while still living in HIS district (simply because Goodlatte isn’t going anywhere), his transparency shined through. He’s simply doing this to advance his political career. He couldn’t give a flip about SWVA, unless we somehow elect him to office, which I hope we don’t.

Congressman Boucher has a stellar record, and is greatly respected by both government representatives
and his constituents.

His tireless efforts have resulted in progress for the 9th district and the USA. Fiber-optics infrastructure implementation, for instance, in SW VA, has been a priority that has proven essential for economic growth. He continues to work hard; his goals and accomplishments would make the ‘long list’.

Congressman Boucher’s staff is well-chosen; I’ve heard great praise of his pro-active staffers that serve residents very well.

Congressman Boucher is one of the most revered government representatives that I have ever known, for good reasons. He deserves to win in November.

Mr. Boucher is slowly losing his grip on this district simply because of redistricting. He may win this race but the next one will be a much harder battle. If defeated I would bet on a rematch in two years. I sucpect that 2012 will be the year that does Boucher in. Two things make me say this 1 Obama will be on the ballet and I doubt Obama will get 30% in the ninth district 2 the district will grow and will most likely include a large part of Salem and Roanoke County, places where Boucher hasn’t the pull that he does in deep swva.
One point of disagreement with your post Doug. Its hard to say that Griffith is “on the fringe” when he was elected by his peers to Majority Leader. To reach this position he had to receive the support of a majority of the republican delegation. Its a bit of a stretch to say that the majority of the delegates are on the fringe of the republican party.
I would also point out that SurveyUSA also polled the 5th and came up with a 23 point lead for the Republican Robert Hurt. That sounds a little out there even to a strong republican like myself. To quote Perriello’s campaign SurveyUSA’s polls are “useless.”

Rick Boucher is a bi-partisan ‘champ’, and is respected by voters that are informed.

No matter the party or the ballot he is on, folks will continue to support him in great numbers.

There’s no one like him to depend on. He’s helped so many folks in so many ways, from personal assistance to jobs, via education funding and infrastructure upgrades such as FIOS.

Griffith’s party is known to be so unified that one of ‘them’ would never cross party-lines when proposing and voting on bills and amendments. No wonder some of their ‘own’ folks look for a ‘tea party’…they need some refreshment after so many stagnant experiences via the RNC and those they support.

Unity of one party: ‘Hoover days’ depression…Eisenhower’s near-depression days(at least he warned, “beware of the military-industrial complex”).Nixon and Agnew (!),..Reagon (I..I..just don’t remember..(Olil Iran/Contra))..THE Bushes’ wars and deficits (whew!)…and recently, even trying to block anything, such as unemployment benefits. It’s a historical legacy that I hope is ended forever. The GOP record is not admirable.

Let me just say this about Rick and every other Damn idiot we have in office, here is a e-mail I got today that just says it all, at least for what I think, and I really hope it is what most of you think also, please go and vote next election it is apparent mosat of you don’t by the numbers that show up.

My name is d’Lynn. I’m a disabled Vietnam vet. I don’t look too bad for a beat-up old fart, do I? And that’s my ride. She’s looking pretty good also, especially when you consider that she’ll turn twenty this summer. That’s right, it’s a 1990 with a 1990 sidecar. I can’t ride a solo bike, ergo the sidecar rig. It’s my sole means of transportation – rain or shine, snow or wind, and this summer also marks a milestone in both of our lives, as I will finally be able to pay her off. Twenty years old? What? Why did it take so long? You weren’t paying attention, were you? It’s right at the beginning of this paragraph.

I am a disabled vet, which means I receive a veterans administration disability pension, which also means “I’m broke!” Just one step ahead of being homeless every month, and that’s not an idle statement or an “Oh, woe is me” dire complaint. There’s a point to this, so hang in there a minute or two and read on.

There’s a 25-year-old illegal immigrant woman living in Florida , with eight kids. Yes, eight “anchor babies” and she receives just shy of $1,500 per month per kid, plus medical, plus food stamps.

Oh, wait. I’ve been informed that I shouldn’t call them Food Stamps anymore. That’s not PC. It’s all called “Social Assistance” now. You do the math on that yourself. I’d say that she was schooled early in how to make it in the system. Twenty-five years old, eight kids . . . . . yep, she started early.

You can whip out the calculator if you want, but this woman, who never has paid a dime in taxes of any kind, (and still doesn’t – she’s ‘illegal,’ remember?) is here in this country illegally. She hasn’t paid out one cent in medical for all the “anchor babies,” makes more in one month, legally, than I receive in over a year and a half in disability payments and I can’t even get food stamps! Oops, I mean “Social Assistance.”

Technically I am eligible for “Social Assistance.” I was told it would be a walk through – a gimme – being disabled. No problem, and in the very next breath I was also informed that under the law the amount I received in “Social Assistance” would be deducted from my disability pension.

Let’s say I take a great photograph. It was just luck, a one of a kind accident, in the right place at the right time shot. My local newspaper offers me fifty bucks to use the photo in a featured story. (I live in a small town and fifty bucks is all they could afford.) I have to report that fifty dollars to the VA as earned income, which will immediately be deducted from my next month’s disability check. If I don’t report it I’m in violation of federal law and technically they can stop my disability pension and prosecute me under a federal felony. Pretty cool, eh? For fifty bucks.

I see no point in dealing with two federal bureaucracies, so I don’t bother. What’s the point?

She’s here illegally and with just one kid would make over twice what I receive per month. She has eight and she’s not a stand-out case. She’s not alone. That’s the way the system works. Millions of illegal immigrants know this, know how the system works and know how to use it. (Haven’t you seen the pamphlet? It’s handed out all along our borders, “The Illegal Immigrants’ Guide to Keeping America Just The Way It Is.”) and that’s just the way it works.

Did you know that the federal government provides a “refugee” in this country with a monthly “stipend” of $1,890, plus $580 a month in “Social Assistance?” That’s $2,470 a month, tax-free. That’s two and a half times what I’m allowed to receive as a disabled vet. And just what did they do to earn this? All you have to do is show up on our collective doorstep, raise your right hand and swear that you’re a refugee and, bingo, receive $30,000 a year, tax-free. That’s more than someone making $15 an hour, and they have to pay taxes to boot!

Now, in defense of the Veterans Administration, they are doing what they can with what they’ve got. This is precious little compared to what they should have to get the job done. At least this country has a VA.

It’s the Senate that keeps passing laws, rules and guidelines, cutting their budget, denying requests for more staff and computer systems to handle the massive work flow. Their hands are tied by the very government that’s supposed to give them what they need to get the job done, by the government you voted into office. Don’t scream at the VA. I have. It’s misguided anger.

The point to this “story?” Just why are you paying such high taxes to support this incredibly screwed-up government? Why? And I’m not proposing you stop paying your taxes. That’s wrong. There are good programs and reasons to pay your taxes and support our government.

What am I proposing? It’s quite simple. Vote.

The government, our government, is broken and we as the voters serve as the maintenance crew. We fix it . . . . . by voting. If your state Senator has been in office more than two terms, vote ’em out at the next election. If your state representative has been in office more than two terms, vote ’em out of office. We put term limits on just about every publicly-elected official in the country except the House and Senate.

Why? Believe me, they know this and love it! Ahhh – the power!

I don’t care how much you believe your Senator or Representative is doing a good job. They’re not! Look at the government you have….that we have. How can you state they are doing what you want as the voter that put them there? How?

Vote them out of office. Do it.

Change the course of this country’s history by what you are granted and guaranteed under the law. Vote! And if you have the guts, the anger, the outrage, start a petition in your state for a state-wide initiative to be placed on your next state ballot. Limiting the terms of office for your state senators and state representatives to your federal government to two terms.

The federal government will never pass such a law, but you can. You can get it done. You can force it. You can make it a law.

This is the first step in “getting it right.” Just vote. It’s simple. It’s easy, dammit!
This first step will send a very clear message. It’ll work. It’ill put “us” back in control of “them.” As it should be. As it was intended in the first place.

Are you an American? Born and raised? Then vote!

Side note: I sent this e-mail to a little over one hundred on my e-mail list. If you believe I’m wrong or misguided or you simply don’t agree, that’s fine. Go right ahead and delete this e-mail. No problem. Sorry to have bothered you. But if you think I just might have a worthwhile idea, something we can easily accomplish, something that could be a small part at getting this country back under “our” control, then please pass this along.

To Bob Taylor: I am truly sorry for your troubles and frustration, but I would like to know where you get your information about illegal immigrants receiving tax-payer funded social service benefits. I am not discounting what you have written; I just would like to know the source of your information. Your description of the illegal immigrant mother strikes a discordant note with my knowledge of the requirements and documents involved to obtain social service benefits.

The claims in this spam are easily disputed at numerous websites like snopes.come, factcheck.org, etc. But what do emails like this say about the parties that spread them? To me it says they think I’m an idiot, if they think I’m that easily manipulated why would I support them? This is type of crap that the tea party, the birthers, the ‘communist plot’ and the Apocalypse is near conspiracy theorist all prey on. They love bad economies and know that stuff like this divert attention from the real issues that matter…

It seems to me some of the larger problems with illegal immigration would include things like 1 higher unemployment 2 higher crime and a fear of reporting crime to police 3 the trend of illegals keeping to themselves and not really thinking of themselves as Americans ( I suspect there are better ways to explain this) 4 the reduced taxes collected 5 the inability of the government to insure things like minimum wage laws and worker safety laws.

Well Yvonne I’m watching a show right now on TV : (Immigration Beyond Borders) on CNN about how the illegals are going to New Mexico from Arizona so they can continue to draw money from the government to help them out, wake up do some research it’s a fact. We are helping what IS ILLEGAL ALIENS.
Which for some reason TV doesn’t want to call, just what they are, Illegal, we the taxpayers are paying for them and NOT helping our own as stated in my previous post.
Jacob it’s not Spam, Tea party , or crap it’s fact go out west and see the problem is unreal.
I’ll admit the problem is not prevalent here in Floyd as it is in most bigger cities, but it is one of this countries major problems.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, I commend you-pack em up and ship them back, you want to live here do so legally.

Yvonne , let me tell you a story of something that happened to me previously, A drunk Illegal blew a stop sign, hit my wife head on , injuring my wife and totaling a 2 week old car, my insurance paid for hospital bills, the new car we owned, to repair his car AND pay him 20,000.00 settlement to get lost because of the injuries he had.
He had no driver license, no insurance, and it was not his car, now who do you think paid for all this in the long run.
Just the fact Illegals are here cost us all dearly, it’s not hatred , or prejudice, it’s wrong.
Try to get a boat and go to shore along Mexico’s borders there is a guard post about every mile, you will be shot on site, by the military, I’ve been there and seen this, but the borders along the US are wide open

The other driver was drunk and ran a stop sign, hitting your car and injuring your wife…. and your insurance paid to repair his car AND gave him a $20,000 settlement because he injured himself by his own actions?!! I would suggest that you switch insurance companies. This scenario goes beyond the boundaries of believability.

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